The Tower
by jen1490
Summary: Negi is a treasure hunter going after the ultimate treasure. But where is it? and: What is this ultimate treasure? AU
1. I

**Note:** this is an idea that just popped into my head with the help of a movie called 'tangled'. this story and that movie are in no way related. the only similarity is that there is a beautiful girl trapped in a tower. That is all. . .

. . . oh, and i do not own any negima characters. . .

* * *

_I had always thought that I was not good enough to be near 'normal' people. Maybe that's why they locked me up here in this ridiculously high tower. Maybe my 'unnatural' abilities were what frighten the villagers. No one appreciates getting their magical power reduced to zilch. Or maybe I just had a really bad personality. _

_The point is that I don't know why they did it but one thing is certain, I ain't gettin' out of here any time soon._

* * *

In a village not too far, yet not to close to the ocean, there was a dark and dusky pub that served the backwaters of society. And in this pub is where our story will begin. . .

"Oy, young man."

A young boy of seventeen looked up at the dark hooded figure who had tapped his shoulder.

"Ah, yes, is there something I may help you with?" The boy asked cautiously, if there was anything he had learned from his travels, it was to always be wary of hooded figures.

"Oy, there is sumthing, boy." The person pointed to the empty chair across the table where the boy was sitting at. "Mind if I join you?"

"Oh." The boy was puzzled. He had heard that this pub was filled with unsavory people. There would be no friendly interactions here, if there were interactions of any sort, there was a high probability of it leading to a fist fight or to illegal business.

The boy came to this realization immediately. With a guarded tone he said, "Sure, of course you may join me. Just as long as there is no trouble."

Even before the boy had finished speaking, the person had plopped himself down on the chair. He was surprised at this person's forward action, but he wasn't going to let that unnerve him. Preparing himself for a silent atmosphere, the boy closed his eyes and took a long sip from his drink.

He wasn't planning on making small talk.

"Oy, you drink rum, kid? Aren't you a little young for that kinda stuff?"

The boy looked at the person with curiosity. Why would a stranger comment on him drinking alcohol? Even if he had never drank before, he still looked old enough to do so. Heck, he knew kids younger than him who were alcoholics.

"This isn't rum, sir. This is black tea with milk. I do not waste my time draining that sort of undignified beverages down my throat." That sounded conceited coming from someone who looked like him, but the boy figured that he might as well not lie about drinking to this stranger. As advantageous as lying is, he wanted at least one truth in the pack of lies he would tell this person. That was as polite as he could get in this dangerous environment.

The person chuckled at the boy's response.

The boy could tell that this person would not be easy to shake off. He saw the person rest his elbows on the table and with amusement in his voice, the hooded person said, "You've got a nice, sharp tongue on you, boy. Tell me, what's your name?"

"I prefer to not answer that question, sir. Nothing personal but it's difficult to trust anyone nowadays." The boy took another long sip from his tea and said no more.

"Fair enough. Can you at least tell me whatcha doin' here, boy?" The person began to impatiently drum his fingers on the old wooden table as if expecting more from this conversation.

"Alright, I see no harm in that." The boy put his cup down. "My main occupation is treasure hunter and occasionally, a bounty hunter as well." _That should scare off this suspicious person_, the boy thought. _You have to be on a high power level to be a bounty hunter_.

"Interesting." The person leaned in closer to the boy. The boy, surprised by the person's reaction, leaned slightly back. The person whispered to the boy, "Listen here, kid. I know that you have no intention of befriending me. And I also know that you are stronger than almost everyone in this bar." The person paused to look around and then leaned in closer. "So I'll cut to the chase: I've got some information that would greatly benefit you in ways you can not imagine."

With this, the person pulled out a small, grey handkerchief. On it, the boy noticed it had words written along lines that seemed to form some sort of crude drawing. The boy felt curiosity swelling in his mind but he quickly controlled it. He then realized why the handkerchief had looked so familiar.

"Wait." The boy said quietly. "Is this a treasure map?" He pointed to the cloth.

"Shhhhh! Can't you see that this has to be secret?" The person hissed at the boy. "You're killin' the suspense! How are we gonna look cool if you yap loud enough for everyone to hear?"

The boy felt like laughing. This person was no trouble-maker, just some buffoon with good luck. Or bad, depending if this thing turned out to be a fake.

"Excuse me, sir, may I ask you a question before you continue?" The boy couldn't stop his curiosity from slowly surfacing again.

"Uh, yeah sure kid. Shoot." The person said as he folded the handkerchief neatly in the shape of a square with the pathetic drawing facing upward. The boy saw it was a drawing of a building or a stick, he couldn't tell which it was.

"If this is a treasure map, how come you haven't gone and gotten it for yourself? I'm sure the treasure must be worth something." The boy was starting to feel like this was all some sort of lame prank to waste his time or get him hexed. "If you are willing to give me information on a treasure that is valuable, then you must want something in return. You wouldn't just risk a stranger taking the booty and leaving you in the dust, unless. . ." The boy paused and narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "unless this treasure is cursed and you wish ill-fortune on me."

When the boy finished, there was silence. Then suddenly the person let out a bellowing laugh that made the people in the pub turn to stare at him.

"I keep liking you more and more kid!" The person said in between laughter. "You remind me so much of her." The person wiped a tear from his right eye and continued laughing. He then clutched his stomach with both arms, still in the middle of wild laughter. "Oh god! my stomach hurts!"

"What? What do you mean? Have we met before?" The boy couldn't help keep his curiosity, yet again, from overpowering his sense of caution. He had to find out who this fool was. It better not be some joke that one of his past acquaintances had formulated. He actually thought about going after the treasure.

Now he wasn't so sure if that was a good idea.

The boy stared at the person.

His hood had managed to stay on even with all that wild laughter coming from his head. The boy had the urge to yank it off. His patience had started wearing thin and he had come to the conclusion that this person was insane.

The person had barely recovered from laughing when he suddenly got serious again. "Nope kid, we have never met before this. As for what I mean, I won't explain. That's for another time. And about the treasure, it ain't cursed and I don't wish you ill-fortune in any way." The person paused as if to think carefully about his next words, "For the reason as to why I haven't gotten the treasure, you can say I'm too old for it."

The boy couldn't understand what this person was saying. Did this stranger know him or not? What kind of excuse was being too old to go treasure hunting? The stranger clearly appeared youthful enough for one last hunt. With every second that passed the boy felt more suspicious about the motives behind this person's action, yet in the end, his curiosity won.

"I don't know what you mean by that last part but something tells me you wouldn't trick me." _I don't know why I'm doing this._ "Even if I distrust you, I am willing to seek out that treasure you speak off. But be warned, if you do end up deceiving me, i will not hesitate to come after you and make you suffer." He watched the person for any reaction. _None, must mean he has some sort of strong power. Still, he couldn't possibly be on my level._ Then he added with a small smirk. "I do hope that I am not too old for this treasure."

"Oh, I'm positive that you are the perfect age, kid." The boy stared at the person. What was that supposed to mean?

In the darkness of the man's hood, Negi caught the faint shape of a wide, goofy grin.


	2. II

**note:** 05/13/2011 - FINALLY. after long months of no activity, this story is updated! i didn't really proof read this thing so please excuse any mistakes. . .

* * *

_Never trust an insane person. _

That was something Negi had decided a long time ago back when he was a naïve child who took the word of a wondering old hag.

That little slice of his life ended up with him witnessing unspeakable horrors, more like the most embarrassing moments of his short life, which haunt his nightmares to this very day.

So when the strange hooded man mentioned for them to step outside to 'chat', Negi had all his guards up to their maximum level.

He would not be fooled _again_.

The redhead followed closely behind the hooded man with every muscle ready to spring at the first sign of danger. Negi stepped through the pub door that the hooded man held open for him with great caution.

It was chilly outside.

He noticed that the night would be a cold one since the setting sun was receding quite quickly.

A throaty cough coming from behind him caught his attention.

When he turned around he managed to get a good glimpse of the man's pale face thanks to the sun's dying, orange rays. He noticed that the man's eyes were a chocolatey-red and his face was angular and, in Negi's opinion, he was slightly handsome. The man's hood hid his hair but the boy thought he could make out strands of dark red locks framing the man's face.

All in all, the stranger's image seemed oddly familiar. . .

"Alrightie, kid. This is what you've got to do." The man's now darkened face pulled out the handkerchief that held the 'treasure map' and a pencil apparently to write down some instructions. "Take the road straight that way," he pointed the pencil down the main road leading to the outskirts of the town, "then when you get to this big tree," he attempted to draw a tree on the handkerchief, "you turn right and you walk forward for about twenty minutes then you turn right and walk for ten minutes then you take another right and walk for ten minutes then you take one more right and walk for ten more minutes and then you take one last right and walk straight for an hour-"

Negi stared at the man incredulously. "Excuse me but did you just give me instructions to go in a _circle?_"

"No, I didn't." The redhead opened his mouth to say more but the man continued, "I just gave you instructions to make a square." The man grinned as if he stated the most brilliant words in all history. "Anyways after the hour, you take a left and you walk for ten minutes-"

The boy held up a hand to interrupt the hooded man. "Hold on, sir. Do you wish for me to make another square?" The man nodded eagerly and Negi frowned slightly. "Do you honestly expect me to complete these instructions?" The man nodded again and the boy let out a sigh. "Go on, sir." _Although, I shall look ridiculous as I complete this quest_. . .

"Okay, this is the tricky stuff right here so pay absolute attention, got that, kid?" Negi nodded and the man grinned.

At first, the hooded man held Negi's attention, but as the man continued to explain the absurd instructions, Negi couldn't stop his mind from wondering or simply blanking out. "-and that's all there is to it! After you break the seal, you can take her and you're scott-free!"

Negi had currently blanked out while he was staring at the changing leaf colors of the tree in front of him. _The sunset was just lovely this evening. . ._ Then the man snapped his fingers near Negi's eyes. That managed to make him flinch back to life. "Huh?"

The man scowled. "I said that was it. Did you hear what I said, kid?"

"Ah, yes I did, good sir." He glared at Negi, trying to find the truth written on his face but in the end he just shrugged. "Alright, I trust you." He handed the 'treasure map' to the redhead. "Make me proud!" He winked then disappeared in a poof of white feathers and Negi was alone on the darkening street with only a handkerchief to aid him on his new quest.

A tiny smiled tugged at his lips against his will. _Well, this day could not become more interesting. . ._

"Hey, handsome!" A slender arm went around his shoulders. "Watcha got there now, hm?"

The boy turned his surprised brown eyes to the arm's owner. A woman with long, purple hair and eyes that glittered even in the poor lighting smiled up at him. "Hiya." She puckered her red lips to send him an air kiss, which Negi nervously dodged.

"Uh, hello, Miss."

"Misa. You can called me Misa, gorgeous." The woman hugged her body closer to him. Negi's body tensed and he attempted to pull away.

"Heyo! Misa! Who you talkin' to, eh?" Another woman, this time a strawberry blond with pigtails and braids, came running toward them. She stopped in front of them, blushing as she saw the redhead the purple-haired woman was hugging. "Hey, hey! Is this guy your boyfriend, Misaaaa?"

Negi sucked in his breath. These women were bold! Too bold for his tastes. Before he could say a word, the woman spoke first. "Yes, Sakurako, yes he is." She made a move to kiss him, but he sharply pulled back to avoid her.

"Excuse me, ma'mas, but I believe there has been a misunderstanding between us."

"Hey, who's the hunk?" _God, these women just keep coming!_ This one had black hair that ended at the nape of her neck and framed her chin. Her eyes were black and had a hint of amusement as they stared at him.

"Misses, I really must be going." He struggled to free himself of the purple-haired woman but her grip was like iron. Then suddenly he felt a hard, strangely familiar jab at his side. He looked down at the woman who was grinning devilishly up at him.

"Don't move, don't make a sound." Then after a moment of silence, she added seductively, "you sure are a pretty boy." He stole glances at the other two who had their weapons out and aimed at him. These woman were _assaulting_ him? _Him_, of all people! "Now, give us the map and we'll leave you in one piece."

Negi weighed his options. One: he could lie about the treasure map, two: he could fight them. He didn't like option two, since someone could end up hurt and, well, this option would eventually come if option one failed, right?

"Map?" He asked with an innocent facial expression. "What map? What are you taking about?"

The purple-haired woman pushed her gun into his side. "Don't play the dead possum, pretty boy. We heard everything, about the treasure. . ."

_Looks like option two is becoming necessary. . ._

"Hey! I think it's the napkin he's got in his hand!" Both woman and even Negi followed the strawberry blond's finger to the paper by his side.

The woman named Misa grinned. "Looks like we won't need to prolong this any longer. It's a real pity we couldn't play any longer. Madoka!" Her eyes went to the other woman. "Take the map and let's go!" Her eyelashes fluttered when she looked back at him as she pressed her weapon deeper into his side. "Don't move, love."

"There they are!" A yell startled the four of them. They all turned to look at a mob of people with torches rapidly heading towards them. "Those three women! Those are the ones that stole the governor's jewels!"

"Uh-oh. We gotta go, NOW!" The three woman ran in the opposite direction leading to the outskirts of the village. Just before the one called Madoka ran any further, she paused and snatched the treasure map from Negi's hands and ran away.

"H- hey!"

Negi stepped forward to chase after her but he heard the chanting of the local wizards. "Don't let those wenches get away!"

_Crap! The map may get damaged!_ The redhead attempted to distract the angered crowd. "W- wait!"

Before he could do anything else, several magic arrows blasted from the mob and flew straight at the fleeing woman. Negi cursed under his breath and with a dramatic flip of his dark green cape and one hand stretched out before him, he activated a barrier strong enough that stopped all the magic attacks heading his way.

Without waiting for the reaction of the townsfolk, he dashed after the women who stole from him.

They were fast, faster than he had expected, but of course, not faster than him.

They _will not_ escape.

The first one he saw was the strawberry blond followed by the purple-haired woman a few meters ahead of her and finally the raven-haired woman with his map ways ahead of both. That one was the fastest one of the bunch, no wonder she had had time to steal his map before fleeing the mob. The girl was quickly disappearing from his sight, he would have to use magic to catch her at this rate.

He had no problem with that.

A small wrinkle of concentration formed between his eyebrows as he focused and pumped his magic to his feet, giving him a big boost forward. He passed the strawberry blond, who yelped in surprise when she saw him speed by, then he passed the purple-haired woman, who had the same reaction as her companion and finally the raven-haired woman was right in front of him. He could see her legs straining for more speed but it was useless, he had her already.

His arms encircled the girl's waist and he turned so that he had his back to the ground as they both fell, sliding a short distance before coming to a dead stop.

Everything remained still for a couple of seconds until the girl began to struggle against Negi's chest. "Let go of me! Let me go!" She kicked and punched at the air, trying to land a hit on her captor.

His grip around the girl's waist tightened. "Give me my map! I will not allow you to steal that which is mine!"

"Madoka!" The purple-haired woman ran up to the two struggling on the floor and began to kick her heeled boot into Negi's side. "Release her, you scum!"

The battle raged on for moments, no side retreating when suddenly there was a yell coming from the last woman to reach them. "Misa! Madoka! They're coming! They're coming!"

A low curse escaped the purple-haired woman's lips as she looked back at the oncoming mob in the distance. "Madoka! Leave the map! We gotta go!"

The woman on top of Negi nodded and dropped the handkerchief. She scrambled to her feet to run but the magic arrows of the other mages had reached them and hit her leg. With a painful yelp escaping her mouth, she fell to the floor in a trembling heap.

"Madoka!" The strawberry blond shrilled as she dropped to her knees beside the shaking raven-haired woman.

The bright arrows rained down around the four of them. Negi snatched up his handkerchief and dodged the increasing attacks.

There was no mistaking it.

The townspeople believed that he was working with the trio of thieves. He would have to defend himself yet again.

He whipped his hand from under his dark cape and held it out in front of him to create the same barrier as before. This time it was bigger, had multiple layers, and surrounded not only Negi, but the other three women as well.

The women stared in a stunned silence as they watched his superior magic stop anything and everything that came their way. With his barrier still active, he stood up and glanced sideways at the women huddled to his left. "It is best if we all flee from this affair."

The strawberry blond hugged the raven-haired girl closer to her chest. "But- but Madoka! We can't leave her!"

Negi clenched his fists and while still holding up the barrier, he began a chant that caused a brilliant white light to surround the three girls. The women instantly felt the surge in power flowing through their bodies.

"Holy shit! I feel like I can smash through a mountain!"

"I feel like I could run for hours and not get tired!"

"Well, my leg feels so much better!"

"Enough talk!" Negi ordered to the three women. "Hurry up and run!" The mages were getting closer, relentlessly striking his barrier with magic arrows in an attempt to find a weakness. He took a step back, then another one, as he absorbed the magical strength of the mages. If they kept it up, he would be forced to use his offensive magic to protect himself, something of which he didn't wish to do.

He retreated slowly with his barrier still active, and when he was sure the women were far from striking range he released the shield.

The flood of magic arrows nearly drowned him as he dashed away from the shouting mob. He was beginning to gain some distance between the townsfolk when suddenly a black shadow spread around his legs attempting to bind him.

Negi glanced down to his legs in surprise and quickly countered the strange magic before it could impair him from running. The shadow chains shattered and he rushed forward in a barely visible blur.

That was _not _normal magic. . .

_To think a person like_ that _was present in this little village._

Negi caught up to the three woman. He took a moment to study the girls as he ran beside them. The excitement of the escape along with their hair whipping back with the force of the wind made them appear like wild nymphs. The purple-haired girl was laughed hysterically while the strawberry blond hadn't closed her mouth since he first saw her. The only normal one was the one named Madoka, yet even the sparkle in her eye expressed a desire of raiding and plundering an innocent village. It was a wonder how he had made it to his seventeenth year of life with all the strange people he stumbled across.

A yell from the strawberry blond pulled away his attention. "Look at that tree!" The girl smiled like a maddened animal as her slender finger pointed at the large monster of a tree that was barely visible against the backdrop of the dark, starry night. "It's freakin' huge!"

_Could it be? _In the midst of a sprint that resembled flight, he took a fleeting glace at his napkin map.

And there he saw it.

That hideous atrocity of a sketch that man had penciled in. It was awful but yet the similarities between the drawing and the tall, dark looming figure in the distance was striking.

He had found the starting point to the route that would lead to that _'treasure'_. . .


End file.
